US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan was not going to cause any of the parties involved any pleasure, not unless it was so one-sided that it caused outright rejection by one side or the other. The welcome given it by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and COAS Field Marshal Asim Munir indicates that they found it close to, or even identical, to the plan Mr Trump presented during their recent meeting with him at the White House. However, the plan was revealed at a joint press conference of Mr Trump with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, indicating that Israel agreed to the plan. That is not the case. As a matter of fact, Hamas has not agreed to the plan, its only statement being that it will consider it.
The plan comes at a time when Israel realizes that the objective of wiping out Hamas is unachievable even by the massive military means it has available to it. As a result, Mr Trump is now asking it to commit suicide in return for an end to the war. As a matter of fact, it is virtually a Hamas surrender, which some would argue is about all it could get, considering the military situation. However, there are some benefits on offer. It would get back over 2000 Palestinians presently in Israeli custody. The Israeli Defence Force would also withdraw, and hand over to a Stabilization Force. Governance would be carried out by a committee of Palestinian technocrats, and the rebuilding of Gaza will be entrusted to it, overseen by a ‘Board of Peace’ headed by Mr Trump himself, and with various heads of state on it. That Board will gradually hand over the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority. Hamas is to be excluded from any role in this, and is not just to surrender all hostages, but deweaponise completely. A police force is to be set up which will ensure that no weapons are brought into the Gaza Strip.
Following its welcome, there are two points at which Pakistan could get dragged in. First, it could have someone serving on the Board of Peace. Second, it could lend forces for the Stabilization Force. Both would fly in the face of Pakistani policy to date, which has been to stay out of internal Arab affairs. That is why Pakistan stayed out of the Gulf Wars, and did not provide any forces for Iraq.
